Love Scene
by Purin-chan
Summary: A decade later, Lina finds herself traveling the roads alone. Xelloss, bereft of a lord to serve, finds her and decides to accompany her for a while. Things develop from there. Mature audiences only. XL of course.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**Hello hello. This actually kind of makes me blush, but there will be a lemon later in this story. This is my first attempt at one, considering the last time I wrote fanfiction was when I was in my early teens. Now that I've matured a bit (I think), I want to attempt to write something that is at my maturity level, and the result is this story here. It won't get steamy until later chapters, though, so be patient with me.

* * *

Love Scene – Chapter One

It was an inevitable thing. With the mazoku race weakened, it was only a matter of time before the ryuuzoku would strike. And with the mazoku lords teetering on the brink of extinction, the world was about to become a place of light without the dark.

Between Dynast of the North, Deep Sea of the West, and Zelas of the South, the last was in a position most favorable to attack. No one knew exactly where Deep Sea resided, so an attack on her would most likely backfire with a surprise attack on them. Dynast was shielded by a well-built fortress to the front and a natural wall to the back--his defenses would be hard to break through. Zelas, on the other hand, was vulnerable on all four sides of her island; it was a much more accessible location for a surround and attack strategy.

To top things off, it seemed that the second piece of Ceipheed had finally emerged. With all their players in place, the ryuuzoku race prepared and initiated attack in an attempt to finally obliterate the mazoku race. They intended to push Zelas back, corner her weakened forces along with Dynast, weaken his forces as they killed her, and finally destroy Dynast, but the plan failed. Zelas had stood her ground to the very end, finally sacrificing herself at the end of the battle to damage the fragment of Ceipheed. Deep Sea's forces then arrived with a surprise attack to finish off the battle. There would be no follow-up war. It was over.

There had always been the question of whether or not a subordinate could survive after his or her master had been destroyed, and it was finally answered when Xelloss found himself alive even after Zelas had perished. At a complete loss for what to do and without a mazoku lord to directly serve (Dynast and Deep Sea both still had their subordinates alive and intact), he turned to the only other person he respected.

He went to find Lina.

ooo

"Ah, it always feels good to blow up bandits," the little sorceress declared contentedly as she rolled the soreness out of her shoulder. She was twenty-seven years old, and her life hadn't changed much over the course of ten years. Her companions were no longer with her--Amelia was finally becoming queen, Zelgadiss had given up on his search for a cure and was instead serving as a secret guard for Amelia--intercepting assassins and whatnot, and Gourry was, well, retired. The relationship between him and Lina never came to fruition, so Sylphiel had stepped up to declare her feelings for him. After careful deliberation, Gourry found that he, too, returned her feelings, and eventually left his adventurous life with Lina to settle down with Sylphiel. Lina had been reluctant to let him go, but she knew that it was not her place to interfere.

The following years had been particularly painful for her. Somehow, returning to being a lone adventurer was worse than being lonely to start with, and she found herself forcibly covering up her depression by strengthening her image as a Bandit Killer. That didn't do much good for her, since a stronger reputation meant a greater number of people who feared her, so the rebound effect resulted in her inability to make new friends. Amelia had sent an invitation letter to her, asking Lina to join her and Zelgadiss in Saillune. Lina had, however, turned it down, knowing that the lifestyle didn't suit her. She had to be out and about, and the less responsibilities she had that held her down, the better. 

She heard bushes rustling behind her and whirled around with a fireball spell in her hand. "Oops. Missed one!" she said excitedly as she sent the magic forward. But to her surprise, she saw the figure vanish. She stiffened. _A mazoku?_ she wondered, dropping her sack of treasures and preparing for what may come. She listened intently as the breeze blew by, waiting patiently for any sign of its presence. None came, and eventually she came to the conclusion that--whatever it was--it had disappeared.

She sighed and turned around to pick up her dropped trinkets but was completely startled when a familiar faced visitor stood there before her. Leaping back with a yelp, she barely managed to squeak his name, "X-X-X-Xelloss?"

"Why, hello there Lina-san," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He hadn't intended to scare her, but he didn't quite know how to approach her either, so he just waited silently until she noticed his presence herself. The fireball hadn't exactly been what he was looking for, but it was a typical Lina greeting. He lightly scratched the side of his face with his index finger in shame as she let loose on him.

"What the hell did you do that for? Your own sick and twisted enjoyment?" she lashed out, baring her fangs at him. There was no doubt in her mind that he had done that on purpose--he was always doing little things like that to annoy her. Then she spat, "Geez. I get a break from you for a decade and then you go and pull a stunt like that. Can really make a person unhappy to see you."

He frowned. She wouldn't believe him even if he protested, so he held his tongue and dropped his head. He wasn't exactly in the right mood to bicker with her, with his lord gone and all.

Lina blinked at him. "Xelloss?" she called, noticing something was a bit off about him. "Is something wrong?"

He resumed his normal façade. "Oh, nothing." He saw that she didn't look convinced, and quickly changed the subject. "So, where is everyone else?"

Still skeptical of his behavior, she warily replied, "I don't know. Haven't seen them in so long." The last sentence trailed off a bit, and her own mood dropped a couple of notches. She missed their company terribly, but there was nothing she could do about it. And here was Xelloss, probably popping in for only a moment before leaving her alone again. The thought made her sick to her stomach, and she sincerely hoped that he would stick around for at least a short while.

So what he said next shocked her entirely. "Would you mind if I accompany you for a bit?" he asked. She stared at him, unable to believe her ears and barely able to contain her happiness.

"Sure," she replied nonchalantly. On the inside, though, she felt her heart skipping. If he had somehow heard her mental request, he showed no sign of it. She felt her stomach rumble and said, "I'm hungry. Let's eat!"

He smiled at her and replied, "Sure."

ooo

As Lina finished her fifteenth helping and swallowed it down with a jug of water, she turned to Xelloss and inquired, "So what have you been up to all this time? I haven't seen you around." She thought it was weird that she even cared to know--after all, he was a mazoku, and she definitely did not care to know what mazoku did--but somehow the fact was easily forgotten when she stared at his cheery face. Unconsciously, the tips of her mouth began to curve upward into a smile as well.

"Things," he replied, and got that upset, moody look on his face again. Lina wanted to ask, but if he was willing to talk he would. This was the Mysterious Priest she was dealing with, after all. Asking questions rarely got her anywhere.

Instead, she began to talk about her own experiences. "Man, things have been really boring. The last time something big happened to me was when…" She trailed off. _…was when Gourry and Sylphiel got married_, she thought. Unintentionally, she began to get upset as well. _I should be over this_, she thought, but she wasn't. It still hurt when she remembered Gourry--when she remembered Sylphiel standing beside him in a long white gown, hands around his arm. There were many days when she had wished it would have been her, but those days were over. The dream had ended, and she had ended up with the bad ending of the story.

It was Xelloss's turn to stare at Lina curiously, trying to figure out what caused the sudden depression. He could feel it radiating from her, and as much as it filled his appetite, he didn't feel comfortable with her being that way. Call it a sense of duty or whatever, he took responsibility and said, "I'm sorry."

Lina blinked, coming back to reality. "What for?" she asked.

"I don't know. Everything? Not being there?"

She gave him a sad smile. "It's okay. It couldn't be helped," she replied. The tears were coming to her eyes now, and she fought back valiantly to keep them from falling. No one had sympathized with her since that time, and Xelloss was the last person she would have expected to console her. But the truth was the truth, and it had caught her so off guard that all her buried emotions came rushing back out to the surface. She clutched her chest beneath the table so he couldn't see; her heart had begun to ache again--so much that she was finding it unbearable. She dropped her head and awkwardly tried to hide her eyes from him, hoping he wouldn't notice when she began to cry.

Xelloss watched silently as Lina wept. It broke his heart--or whatever he had that resembled a heart--to see her so torn. Perhaps his troubles did not compare to hers, and perhaps she needed the most comforting between the two of them. He stood up, walked over to her side of the table, sat down next to her, and placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. As soon as he touched her, it became readily apparent that she was trembling—somethng he would not have noticed if he hadn't been so close to her. In an attempt to cheer her up, he squeezed her shoulder, then began to rub her back gently, hushing her sweetly with his voice. She hesitated before turning around to face him, with streams of tears falling down her cheeks, and gazed at him helplessly. He reached out to wipe the tears from her eyes, an act that actually made her cry more rather than stop, and offered his shoulder to her. She took it willingly, sobbed awkwardly into his chest for a moment, then reluctantly wrapped her arms around his midsection, embracing him tightly, desperately. He hugged her back and softly put his chin on top of her head so as not to bother her, then whispered soft words of encouragement as he stroked her hair.

And through this he, ironically enough, gained a new respect for the little sorceress.

ooo

He struggled with the knob on the door for a while before giving up entirely, teleporting through the wall instead. He held Lina's sleeping figure in his arms—the poor girl had cried herself to exhaustion. Xelloss looked down on her face to find her eyes puffy and red; her face still shone with the remnants of tears. He walked over to the bed and gently laid her down, then he brushed back her bangs and quietly pressed his lips to her forehead, so as not to wake her. Fortunately, she did not stir in the slightest, and he stepped back to let her sleep.

He walked quietly over to the windowsill and lazily sat upon it to gaze out the window. There was a beautiful moon in the sky—the same moon that he often gazed at late at night on Wolf Pack Island. He swallowed. The lonely feeling invaded him again, and this time he didn't fight it off. He needed to let loose like Lina had—only then would he gain freedom from his woes. He continued to stare at the moon, and sadly enough, found that he was unable to cry as she had. His emotions as a mazoku were not strong enough to force such a reaction out of him. But so strong were his ties to his former master that he certainly felt he was missing a fragment of his existence—a fragment he needed to fill. That was why he had come to Lina, but he didn't know how to go about asking the question. Be mine? Order me around? Somehow all the questions he came up with seemed absolutely ridiculous, so he continued to dance in circles, getting nowhere.

He heard a groan come from her direction and turned around to see what happened. With a sigh and an endearing smile, he saw that she had been talking in her sleep. One of her arms hung awkwardly over the edge of the bed; he figured it couldn't be comfortable. He hopped down from the windowsill and landed soundlessly on the wooden floor, then made his way to her side. Taking her hand into his own, he placed it atop her stomach where it would be more comfortable, but then he realized she wouldn't let go of him. He blinked, unsure of what to do, but his thoughts were interrupted by her whispers.

"Gourry…"

Xelloss was hurt more by the pained tone of her voice than he was by the fact that she had whispered the name of another man. He grasped her hand a bit tighter and bent over to kiss away the forming tears from her eyes. Then he knelt next to the bed and laid his head atop the sheets, watching the little sorceress as she slept.

He had hoped that what he had seen would be the last of her tears. Any more and he might burst from all the sorrow he was ingesting. He wasn't really looking forward to that.

ooo

Lina awoke the next morning to find Xelloss's sleeping face next to her. Had she been feeling better, she probably would have done something to him, but she felt so bad after the previous night that she simply groaned and attempted to roll over. Her intentions were thwarted, however, by the hand that still clung to her so strongly.

She glanced down and noticed that she was holding Xelloss's hand, and their fingers were intimately intertwined. She glanced back at him, this time with a touched look in her eyes, and wondered, _Did he stay beside me the entire night because he was worried? _Now that she thought about it, didn't he have somewhere else to be? A mazoku of his status was undoubtedly a very busy being—staying at her side must have been a tremendous sacrifice.

She rolled back over so that she faced him. _Mazoku sleep?_ she wondered, but didn't think too much about the answer. He looked so peaceful that she unknowingly reached out to touch his cheek.

His eyelids fluttered open at her affection. She withdrew her hand quickly, embarrassed, but he caught it with his free hand. She froze, not knowing what to say, and stared at him wordlessly as he eyed her curiously, mind attempting to focus as he arose. His eyes were open, and she felt herself being sucked into its violet depths. They were so beautiful; she didn't know what else she could look at.

But when his mind finally registered where he was, he resumed his usual smiling face and released her hands. "Good morning, Lina-san," he said cheerily. She looked better than she had the night before, and that relieved him. He didn't know what else he could do for her if she was still feeling down, so it was good that she wasn't.

"G-Good morning," Lina shyly replied, and a blush crept up across her nose. She didn't know what was up with her behavior—staring into his eyes and tenderly caressing his face like that. It seemed like a nightmare to figure out, too, so she dismissed the thought as soon as she had begun to contemplate it. "Were you here all night?" she asked.

"Mm, yes," he answered as he muffled a yawn with his hand. This time she turned a bright shade of red and had to turn her face away to hide her embarrassment. Receiving affection wasn't something she was used to doing, and it showed.

A soft rumble brought her back to reality. "I wonder what's for breakfast," she said, and hopped out of bed. He watched as she nearly skipped over to the washroom to freshen up, and he came to the conclusion that he much preferred her when she was acting like her old self.

ooo

As she swallowed one breakfast platter after another, Xelloss deliberated how he should approach the topic he had been meaning to talk to her about. He needed someone to need him—he needed someone who would rely on him for things, assign him duties, and put him to work. Without a master, his life held no meaning. It also had to be someone he could respect, and that list was a short one. The only people on it were the three remaining mazoku higher-ups, and then there was Lina.

Lina gazed at him quizzically. It was improbable that Xelloss was just tagging along for no reason at all, but she couldn't figure out what the reason could be this time. She hadn't been involved in anything particularly major for a number of years, so she doubted that it could be some catastrophe waiting for her. But then again, Xelloss_never_ showed up unless there was trouble. He was usually at the forefront of it.

He caught her gaze and smiled at her in acknowledgement. She blushed and looked away, embarrassed that he had seen her staring at him. She waited for some smart-ass comment, but he never made one. Instead, he went back to contentedly sipping his tea.

Lina felt a bit annoyed by this. If he was there, he might as well make himself useful and give her the attention she had been yearning for. She swallowed a chunk of beef and cleared her throat, hoping to catch his interest, but he was completely lost in a world of thought. The behavior was very unlike him, and she began to get sincerely worried for his well-being. "Xelloss?" she asked.

She saw that she had startled him. He turned to her questioningly but remained silent.

"What are you thinking about?"

He raised a finger. "That-"

"Is _not_ a secret," she interjected, catching him at his own game. She couldn't help but laugh a little when he pouted at her and lowered his finger, pride crushed. He looked like a puppy when he made that face, and she almost wanted to tell him that he didn't have to answer, but then he did.

"Lina-san, have you been aware of the war that has been going on?" he asked.

She nodded. It wasn't anything she cared to be involved in, but a powerful sorceress like her had to know about a huge clash between the gods and the mazoku. "Is this related to that?" she asked.

Instead of answering, he said, "Well, if you know then that's good enough." She gave him a puzzled look, but he really gave off the vibe that indicated he didn't want to elaborate, so she left it alone. She went back to finishing her breakfast, wondering what on earth could have happened to him.

ooo

Afterward, Lina and Xelloss went back to the room. Lina hadn't gotten a chance to fish through her treasures the night before, so she took to the task first thing. She had heard that a group of bandits in the area held a rather priceless item, and she sought to find it for her own collection. As she laid the treasures out atop her cape, she went through each piece, separating them into a pile to keep and a pile to discard. Sadly, the pile to discard grew at twice the rate of the pile to keep, and Lina cursed in disappointment.

Xelloss monitored her choices as she made them to be sure that she didn't make any incorrect ones. He saw her toss away a couple of old manuscripts and walked over to see what they contained. He crouched down behind her and reached around her to take the old sheets of parchment to read.

Lina felt her face flush as he neared her. His body was so close to hers that she could feel its heat on her own skin. She watched him out of the corner of her eye but pretended to continue sorting through her treasures, unconcerned.

He glanced over the papers, found them to be useless, and tossed them back into the ever-growing discard pile. As he did so, he noticed that she had incorrectly sorted a couple of expensive gems. He reached forward to take them back and said, "Lina-san, I think you missed these."

He had literally breathed that last sentence into her ear, and Lina stumbled away from him with a very crimson hue to her ears. She covered the ear he had spoken into and stared at him with the half startled, half scared look that was reminiscent of a deer. He gave her a confused look, not understanding her reaction right away, but realized that she was indeed blushing. _Was it me?_ he wondered, and a mischievous grin overtook his face.

He moved towards her slowly, capturing her with his violet eyes. She didn't move as he made his approach and swallowed as he came very close to her. She stared at him with slightly parted lips; her heart began to quicken its pace.

Lina's eyes closed as his face neared, and she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. She felt his lips come to a distance of only an inch from hers, and she swallowed in anticipation, but then nothing happened. Instead, she felt something cool around her neck.

She opened her eyes and looked down to find an amethyst dangling from her neck. She took it in her hand and inspected it, finding it to be a really high quality gem. She raised her head and asked, "I tossed this one?"

"Yes," he replied, and chuckled playfully. She blushed, remembering her actions from a moment before and the feelings that went along with it. She had really expected him to kiss her, but what was most astonishing was that she was sorely disappointed when he _hadn't_ kissed her._I couldn't be developing feelings for him_, she told herself, but she somehow felt less than convinced.

She reached behind her neck to unfasten the necklace, as she had no particular desire for fancy gems or trinkets, but Xelloss reached out a hand to stop her. He gently pulled her hand forward and said, "Keep it. I'll reimburse you for the cost if you want, but I really think you should wear it. It looks good on you."

She blinked at him, to which he winked at her with one eye open. That was when she noticed that the gem was the same hue of violet as his eyes, and she agreed to his request. Looking into his enchanting eyes was a treat, but the gem would be a nice way to remind her of them while he had them hidden behind his usual mask. She rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger as she murmured a soft, "Thanks."

He smiled at her. "Let's see if we can sort through the rest of your things more quickly now, shall we?" At least this way he would feel more useful to her. He was quickly growing tired of sitting around doing nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Love Scene – Chapter Two

A few days later, Lina and Xelloss were leisurely trucking down the road, completely at ease with one another. Lina was still searching for a particular treasure, so blasting bandits and looting their goods had become a regular thing; that is not to say that blasting bandits had ever been out of the ordinary for Lina.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy and content. Having Xelloss by her side was like a wish come true, even if he was the last person on earth she had expected to meet again. She was grateful that her days of seclusion had seemingly come to an end, but there was one thing that still bothered her. Over the course of the week, she had come to realize that he wasn't just visiting--he was following her with the intention to stay. As she contemplated the reasons behind that, her thoughts kept drifting back to what he had said when they first met up again: the mazoku war had come to a conclusion. Lina just couldn't shake the feeling that the results had been bad for the mazoku, and though it was a preposterous notion, Lina didn't feel an ounce of shame in disdaining the ryuuzoku for their momentary victory over the mazoku race--the enemy of all living things. If it could shake up her friend this badly, they deserved to be beaten. What puzzled her, though, was how they could have emerged victorious from an encounter with Xelloss--that is, if they had encountered Xelloss. And if he hadn't been there, where had he been?

Xelloss realized that Lina had been thinking to herself, and he remained quiet out of respect to give her the silence she needed to hear her own thoughts. His own stream of conscious began to drift, and he found himself wondering what Lina had been through in the years he hadn't seen her. Though she still had the same personality, he had noticed over the past couple of days that there was a small hint of melancholy or regret lodged somewhere deep within her heart. He didn't know when or why it had developed, but it was certainly there. He could only speculate that it had something to do with the missing blond guardian that had always been so dear to her. He shook his head. He had never understood what she saw in him--what Gourry had that Zelgadiss and he lacked. He personally thought that, between the three of them, the swordsman had the personality that matched least with hers. She always deserved so much better.

Xelloss broke the silence. "Lina-san, I haven't seen a group of bandits in the last mile that we've walked," he said. "Perhaps you should settle down for a couple of days to let them regain their courage?"

"No way!" she protested. "Listen. Bandits are generally very stupid. As soon as you let up on them a bit, they're immediately back on the roads attacking innocent citizens. If someone like me isn't there, who else do you think would protect these people from getting hurt?" she asked, assuming her teacher pose.

Xelloss shrugged and continued to walk with her as she strode down the road, eager for some action. It seemed she wouldn't reconsider her actions regardless of what he said, but he honestly didn't see any astral bodies within a ten-mile radius. She was just wasting her time searching for people, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Lina had other reasons for being stubborn. If she wasn't serving some sort of purpose, she would probably end up relapsing into a depressed state again, and that was something she wished to avoid under all circumstances. Xelloss could sense her conflicted emotions, and in an attempt to dispel them he reached out and took her hand. Lina made no attempt to pull her hand away; in fact, she had been secretly yearning for his affection since that other day, so the friendly gesture was very welcome. Though she felt somewhat shy, she was happy to walk beside him hand-in-hand. Now she had a legitimate excuse to not want to return to town.

ooo

The rest of the day had been rather uneventful. Just as Xelloss predicted, no bandits showed up to attack any of the villagers on the road. The most interaction they had received were interested eyes from aged men and women that targeted the pair's subtle display of affection, but Lina pretended not to see any of it. If Xelloss had, he didn't say anything about it, and for that she was glad.

"It looks like the sun's beginning to set," noted Lina. "We should head back soon," she added, though she felt a bit sad about it.

"Yes," Xelloss responded and turned to look at her. He particularly loved the crimson hue of her hair and eyes during the sunset. It was a secret pleasure of his to gaze at its lovely hue each evening; she never noticed since his eyes were always hidden behind a veil. But today was a bit different, and he stopped to tell her, "Lina-san is very beautiful."

She blinked at him. Had she heard him correctly? Was he really complimenting her? No man had ever told her outright that she was beautiful, and that particular word struck a pleasant chord in her heart.

Xelloss saw the confusion in her eyes and reached forward to touch her glowing locks of hair. He ran his fingers through its smooth texture, watching as they were lost in a sea of red. He took a cluster of strands in-between two fingers, brought it forward, and gently laid a kiss upon it. Then he raised his eyes up, reasserting his opinion through the intense gaze he gave her.

Lina became aware of the truth behind his words and felt something pounding dynamically within her chest. She felt very touched by his words and very enchanted by his eyes--those gorgeous violet eyes. With a tender look, she impulsively let go of his hand and stepped forward, never once letting go of those violet eyes that looked upon her with admiration and desire.

She touched his lips with her finger, then delicately traced a line down his chin, his neck, and out to his shoulders. From there she reached forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. She acted upon an instinct that swelled within her bosom, for she had abandoned any sense of reason at the moment he had captured her with his intense eyes. She was lost to her emotions, and they guided her seamlessly towards him--towards Xelloss.

He smiled and pulled back at first, enjoying the confused look she gave him. Then he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her body against his, tilted her chin up, and kissed her. She kissed him back with a sort of restrained fervor. She longed for passion, and he could sense it as the feeling rippled throughout her body. The last ten years had provided her with a new sense of maturity; she was no longer the innocent maiden that yearned for True Love's kiss. But rather than cater to her new desire for passion, he pulled away and planted a couple of playful, innocent kisses on her lips with a smile.

She gave him a look. He wasn't going to get away that easily. Taking a bolder initiative, Lina kissed him again, pressing her lips more firmly against his, beckoning.

And he was happy to oblige. He began to kiss her more fiercely, sending her mind swimming in circles, but as she melted in his arms he pulled back and tapped her on the nose with his index finger. "No need to be so hasty, Lina-san."

She blushed as realization set in, astonished by her own aggression. She didn't know what overcame her just then, and though it scared her, she kind of liked it. She licked her lips and turned away, savoring the taste that lingered there. His prudence didn't bother her, for there would probably be more chances to come; he wasn't going to leave any time soon. And to her own amazement, or perhaps horror, she looked forward to them.

ooo

Taking recommendations from Xelloss's handy pocket guidebook, the pair stopped by the Riverbed Inn for dinner. Lina was looking forward to the inn's specialty--a soup made from an extremely rare and high-quality fish found in the neighboring river upon which the inn was built. It was supposedly steamed as soon as it came out of the water with a complementary mix of herbs and seasoning to ensure maximum flavor and tenderness. The description itself was enough to make her mouth water.

The entire restaurant area was located on a pier that was annexed to the rest of the inn. Xelloss took note of the atmosphere: dim candlelight, fireflies dancing in pairs above the river, and gentle sounds of flowing water. If Lina hadn't been so hungry, she might have been drawn in by the environment as well.

Lina rubbed her hands in anticipation as she placed her order. Xelloss watched her with an amused grin on his face, particularly when she chewed the waiter out for his naturally shocked response to the sheer magnitude of her order. He could imagine Lina smacking the poor boy with a fan as he hurriedly scurried toward the kitchen, and the edges of his lips curled upward into a restrained grin as a response to that image.

Lina nevertheless caught it and gave him a look. "What's so funny?" she asked, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing," he replied with a large grin--the kind that annoyed her.

She turned her head with a small "Hmph!" Then she finally laid her eyes on the large expanse of crystal-clear water and the soft glow that hovered just above its surface. The view was magnificent. Lina sucked in a breath and held it there as she gazed upon the naturally beautiful scene, taking it all in at once. Then as she exhaled, she commented, "It's beautiful."

Xelloss pulled out his convenient tourist book. "Riverbed Inn is well-known for its exquisite dining experience. From the food to the breathtaking view of the river, Riverbed Inn promises an unforgettable night of dreams," he read aloud.

Lina turned to him. "Why didn't you mention that before?" she asked. Though she was primarily concerned about food, she still appreciated the natural splendor.

"I thought it'd be more fun if it was a surprise," he cheerily replied, closing his book. "I don't think you would have responded so favorably if I had told you before, right Lina-san?"

She pondered the thought for a second and realized he was right. Amazed, Lina wondered how Xelloss had come to understand her much better than she had understood herself, and she found it nice to be in the company of someone who knew her well enough to be able to make pleasurable judgements for her. Above all, it was astonishing that a mazoku was catering to this want. Perhaps he had her figured out because he could see her reactions like a colored aura. She must have been glowing with a shade of contentment at that moment.

She was partially right. Xelloss could indeed feel her satisfaction radiating from her like an aura, but it was also his extensive years of experience with humans that allowed him to understand the female heart. Trial and error was his best teacher; Lina was not the first girl he had come to woo. She was just the first girl that he came to impress with other important intentions in mind. She was also the first human being he sincerely felt respect for.

The timid little waiter returned with a stack of appetizer plates lined up along both arms. He set them down carefully in front of a rather ravenous-looking Lina, and retreated tail-between-legs to his safe haven in the kitchen. T_he poor kid will probably have nightmares tonight_, Xelloss mused silently as he watched his date devour her food. _As for me, I look forward to a night of sweet dreams_, he added, and happily sipped at his tea.

ooo

After a fulfilling dinner, Xelloss escorted Lina to her room. She wasn't in any hurry to get to bed, so she allowed him to enter the room for the moment. He would always usher himself out on his own, anyway. This made her smile a bit--his considerateness was something she valued.

Lina pulled off her shoulder guards and cape, laying them atop the back of her chair. She then noticed a book lying atop the table, and she curiously poked her nose into it to see what it was about.

Lina flipped through the pages of the book. "What? It's just some old trashy romance novel," she muttered, but read parts of it out of curiosity anyway.

Lina didn't notice how Xelloss snuck up on her, or how he peeped over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. The descriptions were so vivid that they pulled her in; she became fully immersed in the interactions between characters of the story. Xelloss skimmed the first couple of lines on the page then teasingly said into her ear, "I didn't know you liked to read these kinds of books, Lina-san."

She turned, startled to find him there. She quickly slammed the book shut and placed it behind her on the table as she backed up from him, not once breaking their eye contact. He chuckled and pressed the joke forward, backing her up into the edge of the table and causing her to squirm under his gaze. But she wouldn't stand for that again. Feeling anticipation from what had happened just earlier that day, she slid her hand around his neck and stood on her toes, then murmured in a low voice into his ear, "I want to try something out."

Then she dropped her head and traced a finger down the side of his neck, keeping her other hand around it to hold him in place. She followed the line with her lips, at first hesitantly and eventually with more aggression. She kissed and sucked briefly at each spot along the line she had drawn earlier, grazing his skin with her tongue and savoring its sweet taste, finally following up with a small puff of warm air from her lips. Seeing that Xelloss wasn't very responsive, she attempted to incite some sort of reaction out of him by repeatedly nibbling and sucking on the same area at the lower end of his neck, but even then he did not budge. Then she got an idea: she kissed him again on that same spot, gently, and then she sank her teeth into his skin.

The act was a success--she felt him shiver as she drew blood, and then in one swift movement he had her pinned down to the table by the arms. Lina's eyes shut tightly as he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her with an incredible outburst of passion. She kissed back and attempted to break free of his grasp. She wanted to slide her fingers up through his hair--to draw him into the heat of the moment--but she could not escape his incredible strength. She made a soft complaining noise and struggled again, and to her unpleasant surprise she felt a smile form against her lips; he was enjoying this dominance he had as she was being forced into submission.

He kissed her again--gently this time--and backed away from her, leaving her lying in that humiliating position on the table. She sat up immediately and gave his back a dirty look. She wanted to say something witty--something that would irritate him--but nothing came to mind. And to her aggravation, she caught the twinkle in his eye as he turned around at that exact moment--a twinkle that made her wonder if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

He was thoroughly enjoying this. With every romantic exchange, Lina was growing more and more attached to him. He was achieving what he set out to do: in a few more days, she would probably come to need him constantly by her side. It was essential for him not to jump ahead right away--she might grow tired of him if he did.

Frustrated, Lina began to pull off her accessories and slammed them down on the desk. _A bath might help me clear my mind_, she thought, suddenly disgusted by her feelings toward the priest. What could have possessed her to feel so strongly for him--to desire his kisses and his touch? What driving force empowered her to act upon that will? She stomped over to the bathroom, gave him a menacing look to prevent him from having naughty ideas, and shut the door in his smiling face.

He grinned. She was definitely playing into his plans now.

ooo

"What's wrong with me?" she angrily asked herself as she stripped. "How could I so easily let myself be played around by him of all people? I need some food to cheer me up."

She paused as she turned to face the mirror. The amethyst hung so brilliantly from her neck and nestled itself upon her milky-white bosom. She felt a pang of regret in her heart as she clutched it in her hand, fingering it gently between her thumb and forefinger. But then she let it go and turned around with a renewed feeling of frustration, climbing into the tub after wrapping her hair up in a bun. The warm water would hopefully cleanse some of the strange emotions she was feeling in her heart.

She lowered her head partially into the water and began to blow bubbles through her mouth, noticing an odd sensation of numbness in her lips as she did so. She lifted her fingers and pressed them to her lips, realizing that they were a tad bit swollen from the kiss earlier. Then she blushed.

She planted her face into the water and closed her eyes tightly. _I can't be feeling this way_, she thought adamantly. _I swore. I swore I would never fall in love again, and yet_… And yet the signs were clearly showing her that she was, and she was falling fast. The happiness she felt at his touch--her accelerated heartbeat when he got near--it all gave evidence to support the notion that she was indeed falling in love with him--with Xelloss. "Oh god," she complained as she brought her head out of the water. "Not with him."

Not only was romance with a mazoku a completely absurd idea--their race didn't really harbor feelings like that towards anyone--but why did it have to be _Xelloss_ of all people? A relationship with him would never end well. He caused her enough troubles even when they were just acquaintances; she could only imagine how bad it would become if they were to actually…well…form a relationship with one another.

She leaned back and let her hair drape along the outside edge of the tub. As she ran her fingers through her hair, she recalled how nice it had felt to have him so tenderly stroke her hair. She recalled the look on his face--the intense stare of those violet eyes. He wanted her so badly, and she could see that, but for what reason she still did not know.

After she washed her hair, she took the amethyst gem in her fingers once more and rotated it between her fingers. In the soft light of the moon, its appearance was absolutely stunning, but in a different way from how it captured her heart during the day. At night, it shone with a very gentle hue that both enchanted her and calmed her. She felt the last of her anger wash away, going down the drain along with the water that cleansed her. The cold air made goosebumps rise on her skin, and she quickly dried herself off with a towel before getting dressed.

ooo

Lina stepped out of the bathroom with her towel draped over her shoulders. She rubbed the water out of her hair with one hand and glanced around the room to see if Xelloss was still there. Indeed, he was, and she felt somewhat captivated by his softly illuminated figure sitting at the windowsill.

He saw that she had come out from her bath and motioned for her to come over. Lina hesitated briefly, but then obeyed and walked over to him, making soft pitter-patter noises with her feet against the wooden planks. She was wearing white flannel pajamas with cute little pink buttons down the middle of her shirt. Her cheeks were still rosy from the bath, and water fell in little droplets from the ends of her hair, raining upon the wooden floors beneath her tender feet. She saw that he had started a fire in the fireplace and took note of its warmth with a feeling of satisfaction. The goosebumps on her arms began to disappear as she walked past it to Xelloss's side.

He glanced at her with an easy smile on his face. One eye was open, and it reminded her of the gem she had observed just moments before in the bath. "Feeling better?" he asked.

She nodded and wrapped the towel around her neck like a scarf, hoping it would make her feel a bit warmer, but the goosebumps on the back of her neck showed no sign of fading. He gestured for her to come closer, and she warily took another two steps forward, one carefully placed after the other.

In one swift movement he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling his face into her sweet-scented hair. She blushed and frantically tried to push him away, spitting a thousand scathing words at him, but he held onto her like a child to a pet cat. He found her shyness to be extremely cute, but he restrained his urge to indulge himself. He might as well teach himself discipline while she was still not completely accessible.

Eventually Lina calmed down, and she awkwardly folded her arms in a stubborn attempt to refuse him. But as she came to realize how warm he was, she yielded to his will and eased into his embrace, resting her back against his chest and leaning her head against his shoulder. After a few minutes, she wryly noted that the goosebumps on the back of her neck had finally gone away.

"I heard you talking in the bath," Xelloss said with a curious grin on his face.

Lina blushed. "I-I was not…"

"What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, hoping he couldn't read her mind. To her relief, she realized that he couldn't because he continued to poke into her space, trying to prod her into telling him. She didn't budge.

He gave up for the moment. "Want to know what I'm thinking about?"

She glanced up at him as he looked down on her. "That's a secret, right?" she guessed.

He chuckled. "You're learning!" he exclaimed and hugged her. Lina looked a bit bothered by all the adorably affectionate interaction, but he had expected this much from her. She was definitely becoming more responsive to his advances, but he wasn't sure exactly how far along her thinking processes were. How much had she thought through her actions? He wasn't as concerned about the attachment being there as much as he was about her realizing that there was an attachment--he knew that the former of the two issues was already fairly solid. The latter, however, would be much more important in the long-run.

They sat in silence for a while longer before Lina felt sleepy sands come in contact with her eyelids. She rubbed them, fighting the instinctive desire to sleep for a bit more, but finally surrendered herself to the overwhelming drowsiness. Xelloss felt her head turn slightly and come into a comfortable position nestled just under his chin as Lina lost consciousness. He continued to hold her, but this time it was his turn to be wrought with confusion. For some reason, the close proximity to her positive feelings had no direct effect on him. And for some other reason, he felt something in his heart--or whatever it was that he had in place of a heart--as a response to that.


	3. Chapter 3

Love Scene – Chapter Three

Lina wasn't sure when or how she had gotten into her bed overnight, and she was more or less unconcerned about the means by which she got in there. Instead, what shocked her most was not the fact that Xelloss could still be found at the window in the morning but the fact that she felt perfectly comfortable with him being there with her. It was oddly heartwarming to see him lounging on the windowsill, observing daily human life below in the streets as a simple bystander, but he quickly noticed that she woke up and turned to greet her with a cheery, "Good morning, Lina-san."

"Good morning," she replied sleepily as she rose in bed, patting away a yawn while she stretched the stiffness out of her limbs. She tossed her feet over the edge of the bed and got up to take care of her regular morning routine, noting how unpleasantly cold the wooden boards felt against her bare feet. The sun was a deceptive little thing; though it felt pleasantly warm to bathe in its light, it didn't quite wash away the coldness of the approaching winter season.

Xelloss continued to sit quietly as Lina poured water into a bowl and rinsed her face. She couldn't keep from glancing in his direction every couple of seconds, wondering what he was thinking about at that exact moment--wondering why he seemed to have that brooding look that Zelgadiss used to always wear. Though Xelloss was never the overly talkative type, she nevertheless felt an unshakable, unsettling feeling because of his silence. She couldn't figure out why he still stayed around--why he hadn't returned to his duties as a mazoku. There was this uneasy thought she kept having that she was falling into a trap--whatever it was--but so far he was being really careful about keeping his goal a secret. There was still that unresolved issue regarding the war. Though, the only way she could become involved was if he was there to _make_ her involved. If that was the case, he was wasting precious time just languidly following her around, so that possibility was also unlikely. But what if his orders were something else? Was there something larger going on that she was unaware of?

Lina stepped into the bathroom momentarily to slip into her usual garments. She was adjusting her gloves when she stepped back out, but she paused when she found Xelloss gazing at her with a question obviously on his mind. "What is it?" she asked, making a face.

After scrutinizing her for a minute, Xelloss turned away and replied, "Nothing," leaving Lina fairly confused. She tried to figure out what he could have been assessing her for, and felt around for things that might be missing. She even checked to see if the necklace was still around her neck, which it was. What could have caught his eye, then?

ooo

The clouds hanging overhead seemed dark and ominous, Lina noted unhappily. It was clear that a storm was headed in their direction. She hoped it would just be a passing shower--she'd never been fond of being caught out in the rain. It was something she hoped to avoid.

Xelloss eyed her out of the corner of his eye as she grumpily eyed the sky, wondering what it had in store for her. She was fiddling with something underneath her glove on her left hand, an action that he had begun to notice during the few days he had been traveling with her. He frowned. Something about it gave him a bad feeling; something about it felt like an obstacle in his plan, and he wanted to do something about it. If he had experience with the human desire for privacy and consideration, he might have just let it slide, but that was not the case. Anything that would stand in his way had to go--that's just how things were.

He suddenly took her hand, an action that somewhat surprised Lina. She gazed at him quizzically, wondering what his intentions were, and did not make a single movement as he pulled her glove off. He immediately found what he was looking for. "I thought so," he said, casting a judgmental look at Lina as she averted her face in shame.

Lina snatched her hand away and stuffed it angrily back into her glove. "Who gave you permission to do that?" she hissed angrily at him.

Xelloss threw his hands up before him defensively. "I was just curious, that's all!" he protested in defense.

"Why would a _mazoku_ like you care to know?" she spat before bitterly storming away. Xelloss quietly watched her as she ran from him, confused by what he was feeling. Something felt wrong, yes, but he didn't know what. And by some unseen force, he felt compelled to chase after her. But he was a mazoku--what the hell was he thinking?

ooo

As Lina strode around town, she constantly fingered the concealed trinket beneath her glove. It was just a simple ring--a band of silver metal--but to her it was her most priceless possession. And yet, as long as she held onto it, she would never be able to move forward from that moment in time when she received it. It was her frozen timepiece--the wedge between the gears that was left alone to rust over time. It symbolized the memories she shared with the person dearest to her…

_"Hey, Lina."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Are you sure you want to throw this away?" he asked, holding up a small silver ring between his index finger and thumb so that he could gaze through the center of it. He rolled it back and forth, seemingly assessing it for value but unable to discern it on his own._

_"That's not worth the trouble to barter," Lina explained, packing the larger items into a brown bag. She didn't even turn around to see what he was making a big deal out of, so she didn't notice how he was eyeballing the size of the ring compared to the size of her finger. Consequently, the next move caught her by surprise._

_Gourry took her hand and slipped the ring, coincidentally, onto her ring finger as if he were making a proposal. Lina blushed furiously and went silent as her heart raced in anticipation, waiting to hear what he had to say, but again he let her down. "I thought it would fit," he declared contentedly as he nodded like a child. _

_She realized that he wasn't going to say anything else when he turned around and went back to idling. Confused and a bit hurt, Lina suddenly became aware that Gourry had no idea what his gesture had meant--after all, he didn't even know what a fiancée was. She giggled weakly and dropped her head, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. Just a moment ago she was so happy. It hurt to think that she had been stupid enough to think of something like that, and it hurt her more to know how excited she had been about it._

_When had she fallen so deeply and completely in love with him?_

Lina sat down on the edge of a water fountain and rolled the small, circular piece of silver between her fingers. It wasn't as brilliant as it had been six years ago when they first found it, but it still had a piece of the magic left. Even if Gourry didn't think anything of it, she still remembered it as the happiest moment of her life. He was irreplaceable.

Or, at least, he was irreplaceable as long as she held onto these old memories like this. _Maybe it's finally time to move on_, she thought. She knew it was, but as she thought of him she felt a warm, nostalgic feeling fill her bosom. One by one her fingers enclosed the ring in the palm of her hand, obscuring the fragment of her memory from view. She closed her eyes as if to make a wish, then let it fall out of her hands.

Her eyes shot open as a clanging noise pervaded her ears. The ring had bounced against the edge of the fountain where she sat, sending it nearer to the drain. Her face went pale. _Not yet_, she thought as she hesitated, _I'm not ready yet_.

In a humiliating display of desperation, she stepped into the fountain, sinking almost waist-deep into the water, and waded over to where the trinket sat, shining against the bed of gray stone. Relieved, she picked it up and slipped it back onto her finger, but then her smile faded. After all that had happened, it was clear--her love for him hadn't waned; he still existed in the deepest corner of her heart.

Though her heart stung limitlessly, Lina was less than stunned to know that she was still hopelessly in love with Gourry. She had been with him for so long, after all. It just didn't feel right anymore without him by her side. But then, it wasn't worth the pain she felt to think about him. What did she have to do to be able to forget about him? What would ease her pain?

She waded over and sat down on the inner edge of the fountain, exhausted. Her feet remained suspended in the water, an image rippled by the illusion of the water's surface. Rain began to fall from the sky, generating little waves on the surface of the water, distorting the image Lina saw of herself as she stared into her own reflection. The Lina she saw there wasn't the Lina she knew--strong, confident, and beautiful. No--the Lina she saw was none of those things. She saw a girl--torn, tattered, and fallen. She was actually grateful that this disconcerting image of herself was blotted out by the rain falling from the sky--grateful for the mercy granted to her by the gentle storm that rumbled in the distance.

The droplets of rain that pelted the top of her head suddenly came to a halt, and a dark figure appeared behind her reflection in the water. She looked up, wondering whose kindness was bequeathed unto her, and was slightly disappointed to see Xelloss standing there with his cape thoughtfully held out above her head.

"You might catch cold like this," he chided her gently, knowing how fragile to weather the human body was. He, on the other hand, was not susceptible to disease.

She frowned at his kindness. _He's just like the others_, she told herself. _He will leave you, too, and then you will be lonely again. Haven't you experienced this enough to know that you'll only get hurt in the end?_ She dug her nails into the palm of her hand, causing herself some pain. "Don't be stupid," she commanded herself quietly.

"Lina-san?"

"Xelloss, don't you have somewhere you need to be?" asked she, offering him naught but a cold shoulder in exchange for his generosity. She was expecting the answer to be _yes_, but she had never considered the possibility of a _no_.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Whatever do you mean?"

She felt irritated, believing that he was feigning ignorance. "You know--don't you have something better to do?"

He gave her a smile that seemed to hint at melancholy, but Lina convinced herself that she must have been imagining things. "Are you telling me to leave?" he asked.

Taken aback by the hurt tone of his response and confused by his reluctance, she began slowly, "That's not it." With a heavy sigh, Lina dropped her head, watching her reflection in the water as it continued to ripple. "I'm just a bit frustrated because I've been wandering for so long--"

"So have I."

The uncharacteristically serious tone of his statement more than slightly surprised Lina. She turned to face him, gazing at him with searching eyes. He wore an alien expression that she wasn't used to seeing--it was strangely sincere and true. His eyes were unfocused like the eyes of a lost puppy; Lina could see that he was wrought with confusion. He lifted his eyes to look at her as she gazed at him, returning her stare with his own, but Lina did not see herself reflected in his eyes. Instead, he was looking somewhere far away, searching. It was almost as though he, too, had lost something important, something irreplaceable…

…_No. That's impossible_.

The idea seemed so outrageous that Lina had trouble swallowing it, but the pieces did _fit_ when she put them together, and they fit so seamlessly that there was no doubt left in her mind. Why hadn't she realized it before--the reason Xelloss stayed around was because he had nowhere else to go. And if he had nowhere else to go, that could only mean one thing.

"Beastmaster Zelas Metallium is dead," said Lina, stating the truth outright and without the slightest reserve. A faint glimmer appeared in the depths of Xelloss's eyes before he concealed them once again behind his casual façade, but Lina easily read through his pretense and stood up, leaving the shelter he provided for her. She put her hands on his arm and gently pressed her fingertips against his skin, reminding him that he was not standing there alone--she was standing there with him. And even without the emotion-reading abilities of a mazoku, Lina could clearly see that he was confused by her touch. His smile gradually weaned, and he looked down into her glossy eyes, staring mutely as though unable to speak.

She rested her head against his shoulder and stroked his arm soothingly, never once turning away from his gaze. He could see the sympathy in her eyes--the sharing of pain. He was alone; she was alone. They were both lonely even as they stood next to each other, touching as though there were miles of separation between them. He could clearly see her standing there, but the numbness prevented him from feeling her presence. It made him feel unbearably heartsick.

Xelloss lifted his other hand and tenderly stroked Lina's cheek, catching the stray tears that fell as a response to his touch. Lina kept her eyes closed as he ran his fingers through her hair and gazed at her glistening, wet eyelashes. She shivered slightly when he stroked her hair again, starting just above her ear and accidentally brushing the tip of it along the way. He drank in every ounce of her emotions: the sadness, the loneliness, the longing, and even the unappetizing warmth that drowned his mind in a murky bog. There was no filter to stop those feelings from rushing in--they broke easily through the fractured dam that surrounded him and poured into his soul. They were the only reason he was still aware that she was standing there with him; it was the proof of her existence.

She could barely catch the inaudible whisper of her name that passed through his lips. Lifting her eyelids, she sweetly replied, "I'm here."

Then he pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly, desperately. Lina endured the dull pain of her shoulders and gently wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back consolingly and whispering soft, reassuring words into his ear. "I'm not going anywhere," she told him, promising him with words that she had often longed to hear. It was all she had to offer. But he had something else to offer her--information that she otherwise would probably have never known.

_So mazoku can be hurt, too…_

ooo

They took shelter beneath the cover of an old, abandoned shack as Xelloss spilled his thoughts to Lina--from the start of the war to the painful sight of helplessly watching his master's demise. She cupped the side of his head in her hands as he spoke, stroking his hair lightly as his head rested in her lap. The way he was now, he really was like a lost puppy without an owner. There was a peculiar apathy in his voice, and as he spoke he wore the eyes of a fawn.

"Juu-ou-sama divided her forces into two--one for offense and one for defense. I took charge of the former group while she handled the latter. It seemed sensible at the time; naturally, she was the best choice to defend our base. My powers are also more suited for attack rather than defense, so it seemed like a natural choice to put me in charge of the offensive team. But now that I think about it, it's my fault that they even reached the island. If I had destroyed them earlier, they would never have gotten the chance to get near…

…But I underestimated the power of the Earth Dragon King. Though I could destroy a fleet of dragons in a single swipe, I was no match for his power."

"When I recovered enough to be able to move again, I was already too late. Juu-ou-sama was down on one knee--I had never seen her so badly wounded before--and she used the remaining ounce of her power to reduce the Earth Dragon King's power by half. After that, Deep Sea-sama was able to break him into two more pieces, and we destroyed then one by one."

He paused. "I didn't know where to go, Lina-san. So I came to you."

She was actually a bit surprised that this was the result of losing a master for a greater mazoku. The only other similar situation was in the case of Valgaav, but even he was only a loyal follower that was picked up and turned into a mazoku by the Chaos Dragon. She had imagined that someone like Xelloss would suffer more severe repercussions to his existence if his master had died, but that hadn't been the case. Sighing inwardly, she secretly thanked the dark lords for allowing him to survive and bringing him to her care.

After a while, he fell silent as if in a deep sleep. Lina was a bit baffled by the sudden development--she didn't even know that mazoku slept. Nonetheless, he seemed unresponsive when she poked and prodded at his cheek, and Lina contentedly accepted the notion that he had fallen asleep. Thinking back to his story, she felt a bit sad and leaned over to embrace him as he slept, cupping her arms around his head as she rested her cheek against his shoulder.

She wanted to punish someone for all of this. It wasn't exactly her place to revolt against the ryuuzoku, but she had no reason to favor them, either. They had more than once shown that their morals were questionable at best. Even so, she knew that it was unreasonable to try and fight them on her own. She was only a human being, and if Xelloss wanted revenge he could easily do it himself. But slaying a thousand dragons would not bring his master back from the dead, and he knew better than that.

Lina held him tightly. She was angry; she cursed the gods for being unfair--for causing him and her so much pain. Why had they both lost what was most precious to them, and how were they supposed to fare now?

ooo

"Lina-san."

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she groaned as her blurry vision started to focus. She lifted her head a bit and realized that Xelloss was still quite comfortably resting his head on her lap, looking up at her as she dozed. She blushed a bit and averted her gaze, an act that made him chuckle. He reached up, pulled her face down, and kissed her sweetly.

She closed her eyes. There was something so tender and wonderful about his kiss, something she would not expect to receive from a mazoku. He pulled away to sit himself upright before kissing her on her cheek and then once more on the lips as she watched him with heavy eyelids. His affection was warm and innocent--it was pure and unhindered. Lina felt tears come to her eyes as he took her hands into his own, small into large, and continued to place gentle kisses on her lips, cheek, and forehead. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about it all was capable of moving her to tears. When he pulled away and smiled just as sweetly at her, she felt tears trickle down the sides of her face and fall off the tip of her chin.

"It's almost time for dinner," he told her as he got up. "Are you hungry?"

She felt a small rumble in her stomach and nodded, allowing him to help her to her feet. She couldn't explain the warmth she was feeling from him, but she cast the thought aside for the moment, turning her attention to food. Hunger was something that could be explained, after all. Curious happy feelings could not.

ooo

After returning to the inn for a good dinner and warm shower, Lina's thoughts drifted back to the ring that she had tried to dispose of earlier that day. She walked out of the bathroom with her towel draped over her shoulders, dripping cold water from her hair onto the cold wooden flooring. She sat down on the edge of her bed, ignoring Xelloss as she confronted her own internal dilemma.

Her heart was confused, and she knew it. It's not like Xelloss was replacing Gourry--no one ever could--but instead, he was taking up another section of her heart. The silly girly feelings she had in response to his affection proved it. But that was what bothered her most. When had she become attached to him? And why him of all people?

Xelloss frowned as he watched her fiddle with her ring, mulling over something by herself. Something about it made him unreasonably upset--so upset, in fact, that he momentarily forgot all about his own problems. He wanted her problem--their problem--to disappear.

She saw his approach and pulled her hand inward towards her body, as if trying to put distance between him and her treasure. She knew that he was up to something--that gleam in his eyes gave it away, but what was it?

He smiled. She was reacting predictably, but he already had something in mind. He reached for her hair, and she expectedly withdrew from his touch. He kissed it gently, then quickly leaned in to kiss her forehead, her cheek, and the rosy tip of her ear. He could hear her sharp intake of breath as he ran his tongue along the outer edge of her earlobe, nibbling a bit on the end before planting a line of kisses along her jawline. The sound of her racing heart made him smile.

Lina could only succumb to him as he continued kissing down her neck and chest, which was relatively bare due to the low v-shaped cut of her button down pajama shirt. She could feel her body responding to him, and the heat generated by his kisses overwhelmed her senses. He placed his hands tactfully on the sides of her waist, an area of her body that was particularly sensitive to touch. She blushed and pressed the palms of her hands against his shoulders, gently pushing him away. "Stop…" she weakly pleaded.

He grinned. Lina was becoming easier to coax. He picked her hand up--the one with the ring on it--and kissed her fingertips. Then he looked at her--a glance that stole her breath away--and pressed her hand to the side of his mouth. She could feel his hot breath passing across the surface of her fingertips.

She shifted a bit in her seat as he gently sucked her finger. Her passion was elevating; her precautions were breaking. He stole everything from her like a thief in the night. She exhaled a breath of warm air through her red lips and tried to ignore the dizzying sensation of his touch.

And then she froze. He carefully took the ring between his teeth and attempted to remove it from her possession. She wanted to stop him--to protect her treasure from being stolen--but her feelings were so conflicted that her body did not know how to respond. It was as if her mind was disconnected from her body. She shuddered as his teeth grazed her skin and pulled the ring off her finger. He quietly spat it into his hand, and she watched anxiously to see what he would do with it.

Throwing it away would be too easy. No--Xelloss had thought this through to a deeper level than that. If he threw it away, she might blame him and quickly relapse, and then she would be beyond easy reach. A better course of action would be to place it just out of her reach and have her make her own decision to leave it behind. How would he achieve this result?

_Seduce her._

He placed it down behind her back, leaning in close to her as he spoke. "I'm not taking this away from you, Lina-san," he said. He paused briefly, pressing his face closer to hers so that their lips were almost touching. At such a close proximity, the red of her eyes made her appear more like a wild animal. "But I will take you away from him."

_Drive her into a corner._

The dizziness was making it too hard to think. His warm breath against her lips brought her instincts out to the surface, and she responded blindly to his bold approach. Slipping her arms around his neck, she invited him to do just that.

_Make her want you._

Though Xelloss had told himself over and over again not to rush into things, he couldn't resist her when she so openly invited him to devour her. He roughly pressed his lips against hers, sneaking a tongue into her mouth when she pressed back with her own. She gasped and attempted to pull away, startled by the sudden feeling of something warm inside of her mouth, but he pulled her back and continued to consume her. The weak, helpless moan that escaped her mouth as she shuddered sent his heart racing, pounding in his ears. It was hard not to take her completely right then and there.

Then Lina suddenly grabbed his hair and pulled, hard. He winced slightly and let go of her lips, baffled by her sudden action but even more so by the predatory look that manifested itself in her deep, crimson eyes.

_Very_ _good._

_What the hell am I doing_, Lina wondered as she pressed her hands against his chest and kissed him tenderly just underneath his chin in an attempt to deflect her own increasing desires. She kissed up and down his neck, probing his skin here and there with her tongue as her breath came forth in ragged gasps.

Xelloss was greatly amused. For a second, she had gained the upper hand, but she had failed to carry through with her whim. It was enough to bring him back to his senses, though, and he tipped her chin up to plant a gentle kiss on her lips, temporarily ending their passionate exchange. Mutely, Lina watched as Xelloss stood up and turned to leave. She wasn't sure how to respond to it anymore--that primal instinct that took over during their romantic encounters--and she couldn't stand the unbearable, insatiable desire that remained lit at her core.

She saw the flicker in his eye as he vanished, but in her mystified state of mind she could not guess the reasons for it. If she had (she contemplated the possibility of this much later), she would have known what he had then realized.

_It won't be long, now._

* * *

**A/N:** I like the end of this chapter :D. Thanks for reading, and please leave your thoughts on the story thus far! I can feel something good coming...


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: I warn you now. Lemonlemonlemonlemonlemonlemonlemonlemon. I'd skip the entire last section of this chapter if I were a minor. In fact, if you _are_ a minor you shouldn't even be reading this story. I'm not responsible if your parents get mad D:. I'm a poor college student. I don't have money to give you even if you sue me. You can take my debts, though.

So please, note that I did forewarn you of **mature content in this chapter**. Now then, please read on.

* * *

Love Scene – Chapter Four

"Lina-san."

She moaned a bit as he ground his hips against hers, driving her up against the wall. The room was pitch-black, save for a small sliver of light that sneaked in through the crack below the door, scattering its subtle essence across the floor. The darkness along with the intimate spacing between Lina and her lover made the room seem much smaller; it became harder to breathe. And as much as she tried to make out the shape of her lover in the dark, she could not. But the setting did not seem to bother him and his finely tuned senses, and it seemed like he could clearly see her body despite the obscurity; or maybe he just intuitively knew exactly the right places where his hands should go.

Sweat trickled down the sides of her neck as she threw her head back and gasped for air. She lifted her knee and slid her thigh against the legs of her lover, who caught it in turn and pulled it up to the height of his waist. She squeaked ever so slightly at the sudden lack of flooring beneath her feet when he pulled her other leg forward as well, then continued their endeavors. As she neared her first climax, she kissed the lips of her lover in desperation, not knowing what else to do as her emotions began to flood. She was about to lose herself--she felt like she was teetering on the edge of existence and oblivion.

As she steadied herself in preparation for orgasm, she caught a glint of her lover's dark amethyst eyes against the pool of darkness. Her eyes shut tightly as she gasped his name: _Xel_-

ooo

"--oss."

"Yes?"

Her eyes widened. At first, she couldn't figure out where she was or what was going on, but then her messy thoughts quickly started to fall into place. It was morning, and she had just woken up from a dream--

Her face flushed an extremely bright red. _No_…_I did_…_with Xelloss_, she thought, clasping her hands to the sides of her face to hide her embarrassment. Then she added, "I hope no one heard anything I said."

"Heard what?"

She jumped clear across the room, landing awkwardly on her rear. There Xelloss was, casually hovering in midair with a teacup in hand and his legs crossed. The smug grin on his face made Lina feel extremely insecure, and she once again turned beet red. "Y-you didn't hear anything…did you?" she asked hesitantly.

He paused to think for what seemed like hours to Lina, then replied, "Well, you _were_ making odd noises in your sleep…"

Lina stiffened. _Oh, hell_...

"…that sounded a little like you had a bad stomach ache. I thought of waking you up, but then decided it would be best not to," he concluded with a small chuckle, well aware of the sorceress's terrible sleeping habits. She was impossible to rouse once she was asleep, and those who tried to do something about her often received bruised eyes like a certain little princess in the past.

Lina loosened and exhaled a rather long sigh of relief as he finished his sentence. It was embarrassing enough to have had the dream in the first place--she didn't need _him_ knowing or teasing her about it. She got up and quickly excused herself from the room, hiding her pink blush behind her bangs. As she rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes and cleaned herself up in the bathroom, her thoughts kept drifting back to the dream she had the night before. Was it really Xelloss whom she was sharing passionate exchanges with? He seemed a bit different somehow; or maybe it was she who saw him differently. She paused when it came time to fit her ring around her finger, but after a moment of deliberation she decided to put it on anyway. She felt insecure without it there.

When she was done, she returned to the bedroom to quickly grab her belongings, ignoring the priest whose smile was far too large to mean nothing.

ooo

It was a rather dreary, rainy day outside, and the mood set by the atmosphere literally sucked all the life out of Lina. She chewed on her biscuits at breakfast with little energy, for once eating more like a proper person because of the lethargy that she could not overcome. Xelloss sipped tea quietly, respecting her silence. He glanced around the room, noting the lack of customers and the lonely host who looked equally as bored. The young man was leaning against the bar as he wiped the glassware down with a white cloth, stifling a yawn here and there that managed to escape his lips. Indeed, it was an unbearably slow day.

Then Xelloss noticed something strange. Lina's face seemed unnaturally flushed, and her eyes looked a bit droopy. He analyzed the situation, trying to determine what could be the problem. Had he been a little more familiar with human illnesses, he would have immediately surmised that Lina was suffering from a fever, and the most probable cause of that was the time she spent out in the rain the day before. But since he was not an expert on the matter, he figured it might be best to ask. "Are you feeling okay, Lina-san?"

She answered him with a weak "Huh?" He blinked at her and made a worried face which she returned with a look of confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked as soon as a small chill seized her body.

"Well…" He pointed at her plate. "You're not eating."

She looked down. He was right--there was still food on her plate, and that in itself was abnormal. But when she gazed at the slices of turkey drowned in gravy alongside bread rolls and a serving of vegetables, she felt strangely sick to the stomach. Uncharacteristically, she pushed the plate away from her and said, "I don't really have an appetite right now."

Now he knew something was wrong. "That's really strange," he said. "Can I do something--"

It seemed that Lina had reached her limit, for in one moment she had begun to sway and in the next she was literally falling out of her chair; Xelloss quickly teleported to her side in that instant to catch her as she fell. The host was bereft of words as he watched this scene unfold, after which he rubbed his eyes a bit and convinced himself that he had just been seeing things. _There's no way that man could have teleported like that_, he reassured himself.

Xelloss was actually very concerned. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but if it was severe enough to make her faint, he figured it must have been serious. He lifted her into his arms and rushed over to where the young man stood. "Excuse me, could you tell me what has happened to her?" he asked, holding up the weakly girl in his arms.

The boy frowned slightly. "I'm not a doctor," he said. "But there is one at the northwest corner of town. He goes by the name of Raddox, if you wish to seek him out."

Lina managed to gain a bit of conscious then. "That's alright…just take me…to the room, please," she told Xelloss, and closed her eyes again to rest. He seemed unpleased with her decision, but if that was what she wanted, he would deliver. He thanked the boy anyway and left behind a small tip in exchange for leaving a mess at their table, then took Lina back up the stairs to the room.

ooo

_This would be…the second time_.

Rather than struggle with the doorknob again, Xelloss teleported straight through the door with the weak sorceress in his arms. His paces became slower and smaller as he came closer to the bed. Lina was really warm; he could feel the heat she generated through his clothes. For some odd reason, he felt reluctant to put her down; he felt comfortable having her so near. He glanced down, wondering what he could do for the girl who looked like she was suffering so badly.

And then the nonsense of the situation struck him. Why was he having these thoughts and feelings? He had never felt so possessed by anyone before--so completely obsessed and so deprived of control over his thoughts and feelings. He was robbed of them; she took hostage each and every one of them. But the worst part of it was that it wasn't reciprocated. He wanted her to think of him and only him as he did of her. He wanted her to taste this intense longing he had for her--to belong solely and entirely to him. That had been the goal all along. But she remained bound by his past, and he, on the other hand, was not. He had never developed close ties with any single individual in the past--he had been wise enough not to. When did his game get turned back around on him?

He set her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin before starting out on his way. But he paused in mid-stride and turned back to face her. She was still fast asleep, though it was a troubled slumber; he could tell by the look on her face--those closely knit eyebrows and the slightly open mouth that huffed warm air. She pulled at the neck of her shirt as if she were suffocating.

When Xelloss placed his hand on her forehead to brush back her sweat-soaked bangs, she seemed to relax ever so slightly in response to his touch. He blinked curiously, wondering whether it was just coincidence or if he had really been the cause of her ease. He removed his hand from that spot and pressed the backs of his fingers against her warm neck. Then he slipped a finger underneath the golden chain of her necklace and pulled the gem--his gem--out into view.

He tapped it twice with his index finger, after which it began to glow a light blue hue. It generated waves of cool air that washed over her body, cooling her sweat-covered skin. He left her with this small spell, hoping it would help reduce the suffering she endured.

ooo

Lina felt remarkably better when she woke up later in the day as the sun began to set. Her fever had gone down, and now she was only dealing with bodily pains and stiffness. As she tossed the sheets off her body to get up, she grimaced. Her body was so caked with sweat that her clothes stuck to her, and she felt gross from head to toe. "I need a bath," she stated as she hopped off the bed and tossed her cape and gloves onto the chair, noting how sore her body felt. She turned towards the bathroom, paused as her brain processed, and turned back around to see what was on the desk in front of her. A small bag was set there with a small note: "For Lina-san." She flipped the scrap of paper over to look for a sender and saw the message, "That's a secret!" scribbled there. She giggled slightly into the back of her hand. _That's not much of a secret_, she thought, but she was charmed nonetheless.

Lina unraveled the bag, allowing its contents to form a small pile on top of the cloth that bound it. It was a white powder, which Lina assumed was probably medicine he had acquired from the local doctor. _Against my orders_, she thought, but she was still grateful to him for it.

She dipped her finger in the fine powder and licked a bit of it off, pursing her lips at the bitter taste. _It's medicine, alright_. She hated taking medicine, but since he already got it for her she would take advantage of it. _Speaking of Xelloss_…

"…where is he?" she wondered aloud as she turned to scan the room. There was no sign of the trickster priest, or anything to indicate when he had last been in the room. She shrugged. It wasn't a big deal; he was free to come and go whenever he wished. _It's not like I_… She paused midway through her thought and made a face. "It's not like I miss him or anything when he's not around," she muttered adamantly as she pouted.

She blushed and fidgeted for a moment before leaving the room, walking quickly as though she intended to outrun the embarrassment that stuck to her like an annoying little flea.

ooo

Lina returned from her bath to find the fireplace already lit. She blinked at this, wondering who did it and when, but quickly assumed it was Xelloss since no one else would have known her current location. She glanced over to the window for him but only found that it had been opened and exited, letting some of the cold night air in. She shivered and quickly took refuge near the fire, rubbing her arms to provide some feeble warmth.

As she spent more time next to the fire, the heat of the flames began to warm her chilled body. Soon enough, the tenseness of her muscles began to melt away. Lina folded her arms atop her knees and gently rested her head in the nest of her arms. There was no warmer spot in the room than the area right next to the fire, and her natural dislike of the cold was only worsened by the greater sensitivity to it caused by her fever. It felt like needles were being driven into her feet when she walked across the icy wooden floorboards. She let go of a heavy sigh and tilted her head slightly as she closed her eyes, losing herself to a Zen-like state.

Xelloss slipped in through the window to find her in this moment of peace, gazing into the fire with an absent look to her eyes. A small smile played upon his lips as he tiptoed across the room to her, careful not to bring his presence to her awareness. It would be more fun if he could catch her by surprise. He came upon her from behind and wrapped his arms around her small frame, resting his chin atop her narrow shoulder as he hugged her. She stiffened at first, startled by his sudden approach and the warm breath that tingled against her ear. The sensation made her shiver ever so slightly, something that she knew Xelloss noticed, but instead of teasing her, he simply held her more tightly. She blinked a couple of times, a bit surprised by his silent and uncharacteristically passive behavior, before relaxing into his embrace. She _was_ a bit tired because of her cold, after all, and he _was_ fairly warm and cozy to snuggle up against. There was no reason _not_ to accept his kind and inviting gesture.

She closed her eyes for several minutes, basking in his warmth and allowing her muscles to relax. She felt so comfortable that she didn't even budge when she felt something brush against her chest. Glancing down with drowsy eyelids, she saw that Xelloss was observing the necklace he had given her a while ago.

"I see you still wear it, Lina-san," he noted cheerily.

"Un," she murmured in response, nodding her head ever so slightly. She reached up with her own hand and took the gem from his fingers, lifting it up to where they would both have a better view of it. It looked particularly mesmerizing against a background of fire; the amethyst was well complemented when licked by flames of red.

Lina sucked in a breath of air as she felt his lips brush against the nape of her neck. Her eyes could have been deceived, but the flames seemed to dance more wildly as he worked his way across her shoulder, stretching the neck of her shirt as he came nearer to the end. She felt his other hand working at the buttons of her silky white pajamas, undoing first the top one, then the second. Her shirt easily slid off her shoulder then, held up only by the curve of her elbow as her skin became exposed to the air.

He kissed her shoulder blade, nibbling ever so slightly at the little sensitive spot in the center of her back. Lina twitched, dropping her arm as an uncontrollable quake rippled through her body. Her shirt slipped further, but she quickly caught it before she became uncomfortably exposed. He paused, then reached up with his hands to massage her shoulders, loosening her sudden tension there.

She liked the skilled movements of his fingers, and to encourage him she lifted her hair, twisting it up to get it out of his way. She held it up with her hand for a while before Xelloss stopped his task in order to lower her hand, sweetly planting a kiss on the back of it as her hair unraveled and settled back in place. He smiled. It was like her hair itself was the fire that complemented his crystalline amethyst eyes. Compared to the fire that was burning, her hair ignited a much hotter flame in the core of his being.

He meticulously parted her hair into two halves, tossing each side over her shoulders to expose the smooth skin on her back. He leaned in, but instead of kissing her sweet skin he left puffs of his breath at spots he passed. He knew the trick was to keep her wanting and expecting more. She'd break much more easily that way.

The other sleeve suddenly fell off of her left shoulder, and Xelloss sincerely wondered whether it occurred on its own or if Lina had discreetly done it herself. Whatever may have been the case, a large mischievous grin emerged on his face, and he sneaked his arms around her waist. She jumped a bit, obviously not expecting to find his hands there, and managed to turn her head ever so slightly before he blew a breath of cold air across the back of her neck, making goose bumps rise on her skin.

"Ah," she cried ever so slightly in response, a sound that Xelloss found to be particularly cute. He chuckled and rubbed his nose against the side of her neck, then ran his tongue across her bumpy, supple skin. She closed her eyes and leaned against him as his hands gradually climbed upward, molding her skin and coming to a halt just below her breasts. Then, carefully, he slid up and took both into his hands, massaging them gently as he kissed up and down her neck.

Lina could feel something rising from deep within herself. It was a strange feeling--something that she had never felt before. Was it related to the same beast that surfaced every time they kissed? In a way, it was, but in many other ways it wasn't. It, too, wanted more, but at the same time, it was not nearly as bold or confident as the other being. This one, instead, felt a little timid.

He tugged a bit at her shirt, attempting to slip it up over her head, but she resisted, keeping her arms pressed tightly against her sides as a sort of buffer zone. After a while, he lifted the back of her shirt up and kissed down her spinal cord, sending a series of sharp jolts up and down her body. For just a brief second, she let her guard down, and he once again attempted to take her shirt from her.

"No!"

She pushed away from him then, putting distance between them. As her eyes fell upon him, her breath caught in her throat. He looked so confused--so lost. Her throat ran dry as she was struck with the realization that she hadn't meant what she did, but she didn't know what to do to fix the situation at hand. And that look on his face--it reminded her of the searching look she saw when she first discovered that his master was dead, and she felt distraught to once again find that his eyes did not reflect her in his amethyst depths. He had gone somewhere else--somewhere far away.

She leaned forward and reached out to touch him, but he immediately flinched and pulled away. "Xelloss," she whispered, feeling extremely disheartened by what was happening. He turned to look at her then, but the look he gave her was alien to her; the usual gleam in his eyes was missing.

He quickly pulled on his usual grinning façade. "Hm? What is it, Lina-san?" he asked. When she didn't respond, he stood up and turned to the window. "Then, please excuse me."

She lunged forward and grasped his cape, pressing herself up against his back. For some reason, she felt that if she let him go now, she wouldn't see him again. When he refused to turn around, she got the sinking feeling that she had been right. Burying her face into his back, she softly whispered, "Stay."

Lina took his hesitation as a good sign. Working quickly, she slipped her arms around his abdomen and definitively repeated once more, "Stay."

He turned around then with a questioning look on his face. She smiled at him, reassuring him that he could give her his trust, and slowly he began to smile back. Her face turned a bit pink then. _Damn it_, she cursed, unable to sort out the mess of emotions she was feeling. But if nothing else, she knew that she didn't want him to leave.

Though Lina did not quite understand the pushing force behind her actions, she moved forward without paying it too much thought. Capturing his gaze with her own look of ardor, she slipped the glove off his hand and threw it aside as she caressed his soft skin with her own hands. He watched her as she lowered her head and took his index finger into her mouth, sucking on it gently as she ran her tongue along its length. She could feel his breath catch, and with a satisfied grin she licked the tip of his middle finger, enjoying the sweet taste of his skin.

Xelloss suddenly jerked his hand back and grabbed hers, pulling her forward. With a smirk on his face, he brushed his lips across the center of her palm, pausing to savor the blush and surprise that emerged on her face, then began to suck on a sensitive area in the center of her palm. She couldn't quite discern whether the feeling was pleasurable or unbearable--it was somewhere in between--and she instinctively took a step back. He followed her closely, the pair behaving as though following the steps of a dance as Lina unintentionally backed herself into a wall. Then he stopped kissing her hand and pressed the back of it against his cheek, opening his eyes to gaze upon her as his breaths became heavier, and the purple depths of his eyes became mysteriously deeper.

Lina could hardly breathe as he closed in on her, staring her down with an intense look. It was clear from the predatory look in his eyes that something else had taken over, and this was no longer the calm and composed Xelloss she was so accustomed to seeing. Xelloss himself couldn't clearly understand it--why or when his desire to possess her had gotten so out of hand. He only knew one thing: he had to have her, right now.

The passionate kiss stole Lina's breath away, and she had to gasp for air when Xelloss pulled back for a brief break. He kissed her again, aggressively probing his way into her mouth with his tongue, seeking out a mate. Lina slipped a hand around his neck and pulled him closer, returning his passion with her own as they both slipped down the wall, sinking to the ground. At that point in time, she could already feel her body temperature rising in anticipation as he reached around her and up the back of her shirt, tracing a line up her spine and massaging her tender skin along the way with his fingers.

She gasped again and shifted against his weight, urging him for more. Though he took the process very slowly, his hands eventually found their way back to her breasts. He took caution in feeling them, waiting for a sign of approval before he began to fondle each one tenderly. Then he slowly unfastened one button after another as he kissed his way down the side of her neck to her collarbone, then down the center of her bosom until he came to her exposed breast. He first gingerly kissed the tip of it, raising the level of Lina's desire by breathing warm air across the surface of her skin. Then he took her breast into his mouth and mouthed it gently as his other hand continued to knead her rosy skin. Lina's face flushed a warm shade of pink as she enjoyed his sweet pampering. He never once chided her for having small breasts, and she appreciated it more than he would ever know.

She gasped as he suddenly slid a hand down her pants and rubbed her gently, teasing. Her intake of air was interrupted when he enclosed her lips with his own, unleashing a series of kisses on those plump, red lips. She opened her legs a bit, expecting more to come, but was sorely disappointed when he didn't deliver. In an act of frustration, she bit his bottom lip, hoping that it would encourage him to continue.

She was right. He obeyed her will and slipped a finger on up inside of her. The feeling was so pleasurable that a shiver shot up through her body, and she slid her fingers through his hair as she moaned against his lips. But again he wouldn't deliver quite fully, and he rubbed her for only a moment longer before pulling out.

Lina made a slight whining sound, to which he chuckled and playfully kissed her lips. He kissed her again, sweeter this time, then slipped an arm under her legs and carried her over to the bed. As she lay down, a realization suddenly swept through her. _Oh shit, I'm really gonna sleep with Xelloss_. She paused when he kissed her. _Oh, what the hell._

He took her hand and kissed its palm again, sucking on it gently like he had just a bit before. She watched him, mesmerized, as he kissed his way up her arm to her neck. She wrapped her arms around him as he nipped her with his mouth in the same tender spot again and again, then slid his hands up her shirt and pulled it over her head. Then he smiled at her, kissed her on the nose, and pulled her pants down. As he did so, Lina took the liberty of pulling her undergarments off and tossed them aside, adding to the growing pile of clothing on the ground beside her bed. Seeing that she was the only one naked, she reached up to unfasten his cloak for him, then proceeded to pull him down into a feverish kiss. He kissed her back before moving aside to pull off the rest of his clothing as Lina watched him, finally feeling the dreamy, romantic sensation robbing her of her senses.

He returned to her with a fervent kiss, running his hands up and down the sides of her arms, then up her back, down the outsides of her legs, and up the insides of her thighs. He paused there, kneading her supple skin gently, annoying her and arousing her all the same. He cupped her in his hand, and she prepared for insertion, but instead he broke away from the kiss and lowered his head.

She moaned rather loudly as pleasure seared throughout her body in the form of a small spasm. Feeling a bit embarrassed by the extent of her reaction, she covered her mouth with one hand as the other one clung desperately to the bed sheets. But Xelloss was quick to respond, and he pulled her hand away, insisting, "I want to hear you, Lina-san."

Her face flushed red, but the pleasure far outweighed the shame it was worth. Never would she have imagined that ecstasy felt so good; it was far beyond her wildest expectations. She had waited years to share this sort of moment with someone; someone she never would have speculated to be Xelloss. He rose back up, kissed her on the forehead, then the nose, then the lips. Each one oddly made her turn pinker; he was being so sweet to her, and she suddenly felt shy about it. Then he gently pushed her legs apart, slipped down, and entered her.

Lina felt something between pleasure and pain (or pleasure from pain) as he stretched her for the first time. He started with a slow, steady rhythm, but Lina quickly grew impatient. She turned her head and bit his ear, biting hard enough to cause him some pain, knowing he would respond.

And he did. She felt him shiver, pause, then thrust more aggressively. She cried out--more out of surprise than from pain. She began to pant as he quickened his pace, an irregular breathing pattern that was interrupted only by the occasional moan.

She desperately clung to him as they both approached climax. Hers came out in the form of a sound, and his came soon after. Though he was silent, she could feel a spasm ripple in his shoulders, followed by the appearance of goosebumps on his skin, and that was when she knew that he had come. He paused briefly before pulling out of her, falling to her side as they both fought to catch their breath, deed done.

He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled up against her body, head resting on her chest like a child. Lina placed a hand gently on his head and ran her fingers through his soft hair, cuddling him gently. His silence bothered her. "Xelloss?"

"Yes, Lina-san?" he purred.

"…Nevermind," she answered, and he resumed being silently content with her tightly wound his arms. The happiness in his voice was somewhat befuddling, but Lina dismissed it from her mind. She closed her eyes. She couldn't figure out what she was feeling at the time, but she was feeling something, and that bothered her.

She covered her face with the back of her hand, blotting out the light so that she could get some much-needed sleep. But that wasn't the only reason for hiding her eyes--she was so close to tears, for she was holding one man while her thoughts were occupied with another.

She opened her eyes halfway, pondering the ring that remained fastened around her finger until fatigue took a firm hold on her and sent her off into a world of dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

Love Scene – Chapter Five

The first things she saw when she woke up were two beautiful, violet eyes staring back at her. She froze up and nearly shrieked, but then memories of the previous day flooded back to her conscious, reminding her why she was in bed, naked, lying next to Xelloss. She had slept with him. Lina had slept with Xelloss. No shit.

"Good morning," he chirped. She looked at him shyly, lacking words to say. He still had his arms wrapped cozily around her, providing a comfortable little haven for his bedmate. "I prepared a nice warm bath for you, whenever you'd like to take it," he said.

With a light blush on her nose, she replied, "Thank you," and began to slip out from underneath the covers. But at the realization of the biting cold, she quickly retreated back to the spot she had just vacated, clinging to the remnants of warmth that seeped from Xelloss. He chuckled and held her more tightly.

"Or we could just stay here," he suggested. She complied with the more favorable idea and pressed herself more firmly against him, snuggling up against her source of heat. _I wonder if this is strange_, she thought, considering for a moment that she and he were acting like a pair of lovers. Hesitantly, she glanced upward to check how he felt. He was enjoying every moment, and the happiness showed on his face in the form of a silly little grin. If Lina had been in a mood to do so, she would have slapped him out of sheer annoyance, but at the moment she was just concentrating on staying warm. She was never the type to just lie in bed doing nothing, but the soreness between her legs protested against any ideas she might have been having.

As if reading her mind, Xelloss reached around her leg so he could have access to her tender area. Lina shuddered and lifted her head. "It kind of hurts," she truthfully admitted, but she didn't particularly hate what he was doing to her either.

"A little bit won't hurt," he purred into her ear, and continued to massage her tender skin. Lina closed her eyes and tried to ignore the feelings of pain and pleasure that made her hormones run rampant, but the effort was made in vain. With a small huff, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, obviously being swept along at his pace. He grinned and kissed her, then sweetly added, "You're cute, Lina-san."

He pulled his hand back, to which Lina gave him a weak, confused look. He chuckled and slipped out of bed, then lifted her into his arms along with the sheets. She looked obviously discontent with his sudden change of heart and continued to stare at him as he carried her over to the bathroom, but he never responded to her hints. He put her down on her feet and left the room, closing the door gently behind him. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

Lina's heart sank. "What's the meaning of that?" she wondered aloud as she tested the temperature of the water with her hand. It was warm--just as promised. Wish a sigh, she sank into it and tried to relax--a task she found rather difficult to do.

ooo

When she returned to the room, dressed in her shirt and pants with a towel around her shoulders, she found Xelloss back in his usual position on the windowsill, staring out the icy glass window at the happenings outside. She paused to consider him for a second--How different did he see the world, as someone who lived on for what seemed like eternity? What was he thinking about when he observed the passing folk? Were they like the droplets of chilled water that fell from her hair?--pieces of forgotten history that dissipate into the air as though they had never existed. _And am I just a passing chapter of his story, too_?

Watching him sitting there like a lone wolf on a cold day, Lina felt like the Xelloss she knew was only a fraction of who he really was. There was so much she didn't know about him--didn't care to know about him, until now. But how would she go about asking him about a millennium of happenings? The past ten years of absence were enough to spend eons recovering.

He turned his head towards her and smiled, and Lina did her best to return it. She was once again coming to realize that they lived very separate lives--one of a mazoku and one of a human. How had she come to think that there might have been more to expect from their relationship? Perhaps these last few days were just a passing fancy, for the both of them.

She bit her lip and turned her head away. It ached to think about the lack of possibilities there were left to her. Most likely, Xelloss never even thought of her as someone important. Perhaps she had been the only one disillusioned.

She felt a weight upon her shoulder, and suddenly found the towel thrown over her wet head. "You'll catch a cold like that, Lina-san," he gently chided, and began to massage the beads of water out of her hair. His warm touch startled her; Lina felt her heart attempting to break free of its prison and pressed her hands to her chest, reminding it sternly to stay level. She felt his fingers brush against her cheek as the towel fell from her head. _There is nothing to wish for_, she told herself as she closed her eyes and held her breath.

Xelloss could not see her face, but he could feel the negative vibes radiating from her like a dark, black cloud. He wondered if it was his fault that she felt that way--if he had somehow carelessly disrespected her. Silently, he pulled away and turned to the window. He paused shortly to search for words. "Lina-san, if I recall correctly, you came here because you were looking for a magical item of some sort, right?" he asked.

Lina felt sorely disappointed, yet somewhat relieved when he moved away. If he had advanced further, she would not have known what to do in order to protect her feelings from being trapped by him. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, then replied, "Yes."

He continued, unsure of what response to anticipate. "The truth is…I might have already located that which you are interested in, Lina-san."

She blinked. "How?" she inquired, sounding curious.

He was caught a bit off guard by the calm response. "You see, a few days ago I noticed a weak, yet mysterious magic source just across the river. But recently it's been growing in strength. It might be worth your while to check it out," he suggested.

Her reaction was a bit more than Xelloss had anticipated. Her jaw dropped a couple of inches, and she blinked at him in disbelief. Then, with a sudden outburst of energy, she quickly threw on her cape and accessories, fastened her sword to her belt, and made her way to the door with a little skip in her step. He raised an eyebrow at her quizzically and inquired, "What?"

She turned to him as she swung open the door, holding her hand out to guide him through it. He took a few careful steps towards it before she answered his question. "You'll see. You just made things a lot easier for me. With a bit of luck, I'll be finished with what I needed to do in this town."

He paused. "Okay."

Lina pushed him out the door, beaming from ear to ear as she shut the door behind them. Things were looking up--at least for the time being.

ooo

They set off on a path that led them across the river and into the woods. Lina didn't like to stay in one town for long--her reputation usually caught up to her quickly, and she liked to leave before it did. Xelloss had no qualms about her decision; he would go wherever she wanted to. _It would be more amusing if we had remained longer_, he thought regrettably, knowing Lina would not have appreciated his sense of humor. He liked to invite trouble; she unintentionally brought it forth. Therein lay the difference.

"Hey Xelloss," she began, "just tell me one thing. Why didn't you go to one of the other lords to serve? There are still two left, right?"

"Well, I'm not too fond of either setting. I can't say I'm fond of the cold that Dynast-sama seems to adhere to, and I can't say I really ever understand what he's thinking, either. I might have considered going to Deep Sea-sama, but…"

"But what?"

"That, naturally, is a secret," he replied, inwardly celebrating the use of his old catchphrase. He couldn't help but beam when Lina glared at him. "Besides, neither one of the two is lacking subordinates, so I'd just be in the way."

"And you're not getting in _my_ way?" Lina suggested, raising an eyebrow at him. She didn't mean it, of course, but she had to get back at him for using that annoying little slip of his.

He pouted. "I try my best not to," he replied, twiddling his thumbs as he tried to play cute. Apparently it worked, since Lina giggled. But if he was going to play cute, she would have to tease him for it.

She jumped ahead of him and whirled around, slapping one hand to her knee as the other pointed off to the distance "Go fetch the item for me?" she pleaded in a cutesy voice, whistling at him like an owner to a dog.

The look on his face showed that he didn't appreciate the display. He pouted his lips slightly and grumbled something under his breath, which Lina barely caught. "Using me as your convenience item…"

"I said it before, didn't I?" she replied with a wink. What she was referring to was the time Xelloss nearly sold her out to Valgaav, and she had promptly explained that their relationship was purely for benefits. Obviously, that hadn't been the entire truth--she was clearly concerned for his wellbeing as a friend--but she hadn't lied, either.

He sighed. Maybe he was wrong in seeking her out to be his new master, after all. But she soon followed up with another question, this time a bit more seriously. "So then…why me?"

"Hm?"

She turned to look at him briefly. "Why me?" she asked, lingering for a moment before turning back around as her feet continued to move her along the path. Xelloss tried to discern the reason behind her odd behavior, but Lina interrupted his thoughts with a sudden outburst of laughter. "What am I saying? It's like I'm giving you more chances to use that stupid phrase of yours," she quickly added, attempting to cover up the mood.

His smile disappeared. What was wrong with her suddenly? Did he do something wrong? He reached out, attempting to catch her arm, though he didn't know what he planned to do after that. But just as he grabbed hold of it, a thought occurred to him. _Strange, I'm acting impulsively._

She paused to look at him, wondering what he was up to. He simply stared back--a mute unable to convey thoughts. Then she gave him a strange smile--one that was endearing and heartfelt. He had never seen it before, and though it somewhat pained him, it sucked him in. His open eyes watched as Lina lowered her gaze and removed his fingers from her wrist.

_Why?_

"It's alright, Xelloss," said she. The wind caught her hair as she turned, exposing her soft neck. "I shouldn't have asked."

He shook his head, tearing his eyes away from her smooth skin. She was wrong about that. It's not that he didn't want to answer, it was just that…that…

_I don't know why_, he thought. _I just wanted to be with her_.

They continued to walk in silence as Xelloss laboriously peeled away at the layers, like layers of paint, that blocked his answer. Lina looked up to the sky, thinking that its beautiful clarity clashed with the storm that was brewing in her heart.

ooo

After about an hour of walking, Lina decided it was a good time to take a break for lunch. It was also a rather chilly morning, and she fancied the idea of setting up a nice warm fire to sit around. While Xelloss ran off to get firewood, Lina set up little magical traps to catch rabbits and squirrels to eat.

After she was done with that task, she sat down on the ground and puffed warm air into her hands, rubbing them together to provide herself with a tiny bit of warmth. A chill shot up through her body. She hugged herself tightly, shaking her legs as she whined, "It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold…"

_Why are you cold?_

"Because--" She paused. Where had that voice come from? She twisted her body to check her surroundings, scanning it quickly with wide eyes. There was no sign of any other presence nearby. Was she just imagining things? She shook her head and grumbled, "The weather must be getting to me."

_Is it because you're lonely?_

She stiffened. After giving herself a good pinch on the cheek to make sure she was awake, she thought aloud, "Okay, I'm not imagining things." She closed her eyes to listen; the only audible sound was that of rustling tree leaves as they shook from brittle branches and fell to their graves. There was still no sign of anyone nearby.

Her finger twitched. She glanced down at her gloved hand, wondering why it felt so odd, and removed the glove to find her ring shining mysteriously. Its sheen was particularly luminous; normally, the silver was dull. She blinked at it and, for a moment, wondered if the ring had a voice of its own.

Her thoughts were interrupted when an alarm went off in her head. One of her traps had been sprung, which meant that there was food waiting to be cooked and eaten. Also, Xelloss had conveniently returned with a number of logs to toss into the fire. She dropped her tense shoulders and quickly pulled on her glove, deciding it would be best to deal with her problem later when she was not working off of an empty stomach.

ooo

Xelloss wrapped his arm around his staff and leaned against it, relying on its support as it stood anchored into the ground. He still hadn't quite pieced together an answer to the earlier question, and it kind of boggled him. Why had he chosen Lina? Honestly, he hadn't stopped to consider the meaning behind that question before. It just seemed so natural to seek her out that he thought it was a sufficient justification to make his need for her a mutual feeling. But when he finally arrived here, at the calm waters that waited at the end of the white rapids, he wasn't sure if he could figure himself out now that he was reflected so clearly in the placid water.

Lina raised an eyebrow at her partner's brooding face: the wrinkles in his brow, the focused look, the slight frown. She considered his strange behavior over the piece of meat that was suspended between her hands. What was he thinking about? What was the cause of this pensive mood? She left him alone as she devoured her lunch, and after washing it down with a bit of water, she asked, "What are you thinking about?"

He raised his head and quickly pulled on his usual smile. "Oh, just some things," he answered vaguely. "For example, I was trying to pinpoint the item's exact location, and I think I've found it." She didn't have to know that he had already figured that out while he was out gathering firewood.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was lying, but she decided to play along for the moment. "Great! …Where?" she inquired, portraying innocence in her speech.

He parted his lips to speak, but no words came forth. The clarity of expression in her eyes, combined with the easy response made it clear that she could see right through him. At first, he didn't know how to receive this--he took pride in being mysterious, and for someone to be able to read him like a book…well, _that_ was unheard of. Preposterous--yes, indeed it was, but now no longer. Here was a human girl, one of those short-lived beings, who somehow obtained the wisdom needed to see through his guise. And yet, strangely enough, the thought was somewhat comforting.

Could it be?--that he had fallen victim to this human ailment of the heart called love?

He laughed lightly at the idea. That was a rather extreme comparison, but when _had_ he gotten so swept up in her company that he had completely lost sight of his original goal? Why was it that his existence finally had some personal meaning to him? And how could this positive feeling sustain him, a being that thrives on the existence of negative energy?

It would not, and it would be best if he discarded the idea here and now.

The reappearance of his usual façade was like a heavy weight upon Lina's heart. For a moment, she felt like she was breaking through--like they were actually _connecting_. But the moment was brief, and he quickly became the mysterious priest she already knew. Feeling disheartened, she quickly finished up the remnants of her meal and stood up, brushing crumbs off of her hands. "We should get going, then," she quickly said, keeping her head down.

"Yes…we should," he replied.

_You do realize he can't provide you with what you need, Lina_, she insisted to herself as she stomped the life out of their campfire. Then, as she watched the once heated blaze die down to cinders, she added, _But it was nice while it lasted._

She pointed her thumb over her shoulder as she whirled around and started off. "Let's go!"

ooo

It was like a wild goose chase. As soon as they neared the source of the magic, there would be a sudden inflection of raw energy and then it would vanish, reappearing elsewhere. At first, they simply remapped their destination, but after a number of irresolute endings, Lina started to feel rather frustrated about chasing it all around the forest. It did not help that she was already in a foul mood from the biting frost that would not go away. The sun had disappeared halfway through the day, and the heat along with it. If things kept up the way they were going, it might end up snowing that evening.

She sneezed. "Achoo! Damn it! Stupid spirits are toying around with me," she growled, glaring in a number of directions at the ethereal presences she assumed were there. Xelloss, from behind her, hid the smile on his face behind his hand as he approached her and wrapped his cloak around her body, sharing his body heat with her as they huddled.

"Perhaps there is a reason it refuses to be found?" he suggested. It was possible that the item had a mind of its own--he didn't know what it was, so he couldn't know that for sure. But if Lina did, then she might have a better idea.

Lina shifted closer to Xelloss, basking in his warmth. She would have hotly protested against his ridiculous idea if she wasn't lacking in heat. Instead, she pondered the idea as her legs trembled.

He caught the hint and pulled her closer. Feeling suddenly shy, Lina threw her hands up against his chest as a sort of buffer zone, but then lowered them and reluctantly eased into his embrace, wrapping her own arms around him as she let her mind wander off. She wondered if he could feel her heart beating for him, being so close to her and all. The accelerated blood flow was more than enough to warm her body, and soon she stopped shivering altogether. Her thoughts were still wandering aimlessly when Xelloss called her name, "Lina-san."

"Huh?"

"What do you think?"

She blinked. "About what?--oh, that," she replied as she lowered her head and hid her blush behind her bangs. Then she muttered, "I don't know."

He was silent for a moment, and for a second Lina was worried that he was ridiculing her absent-minded behavior, but then he said, "Maybe it'd be easier to approach if we weren't together?"

She raised her head. "What do you mean?" she inquired, but then paused to think about it. _What if that voice I heard earlier was_...

"Hmm…"

"Think of something?"

"Yeah…you're right. It came near earlier when you were away collecting firewood," she explained. "So I think it would come again if you were to leave me alone."

He nodded and rubbed some heat into her arms before releasing his hold on her. "I will be over there," he said, gesturing in one direction.

She blinked at his sudden act of thoughtfulness. "Um, sure," she responded meekly, holding her arms where he had touched her. After watching his departure, she cleared her throat and collected her wits about her. _Okay, Lina, time to confront this thing_…

She sat her rear end on a mound of dirt and waited. The day was quickly fading--it would soon be night. She glanced up at the sky, wishing to see the stars but instead finding a thick dark cloud hanging over her in the sky. But then she did see something--something white…

As it dropped closer to her, she realized it was a little white snowflake. Hundreds of other small tufts of snow began to fall from the sky, landing lightly on her hair and on the ground all around her. She blinked when one gently tapped the tip of her nose, like a friendly little kiss from a child. Then she thought of Xelloss and began to wish that he was sitting there beside her.

_Are you lonely?_

She calmly inhaled and exhaled a long breath. There was that voice again--most likely what she was looking for. She raised her head and called out to it, "Won't you come out to join me?"

A small round ball of soft light--approximately the size of her fist--came bouncing forth. It turned out to be a tiny spirit ball, one that possessed no other form but was capable of thought and speech. Lina stared at it as it shyly approached her, stopping just short of a yard away from her. She gestured with her hand for it to come closer. "Long time no see."

"Indeed," it replied. "Where is your friend?"

"He's standing over there somewhere," she replied, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb.

"No--the other one."

Lina paused. "Gourry? He… He's no longer with me anymore."

"He left you?"

"No! …Well, yes. He has a new life now."

"That's too bad. He even gave you the ring."

Lina removed her glove. The ring was glowing again, and she realized that it was because of the spirit's presence. "Yes, he did," she replied, gaze softening.

A brief moment of silence passed. Then Lina removed the trinket from her finger and wiped it clean of the snow that blurred it. "Funny," she began, "it was easier than I thought it'd be."

She tossed it out in front of her, and it landed in the soft snow at the spirit's "feet." He remained silent.

"I'm returning this to you," she concluded, then rose from the ground and dusted off her rear. "You wanted it back, right?"

"Yes…I did," the spirit of young Rowdy Gabriev replied as he picked the ring up off the ground. As he inspected the status of the ring, he idly said, "It's funny--that my descendant came across this ring."

"But I'm not the one it was meant for," Lina added with a small grin.

Rowdy eyed her for a moment before speaking. "What will you do now?" he inquired.

"Well… We'll see when I get there," she said as she winked. Then she ran off to find her waiting companion--a mysterious priest blanketed by the first snow.

ooo

Xelloss humbly kicked around a stick at his feet, drawing patterns in the fresh snow. He felt strangely concerned about the spirit Lina was trying to find. There was something familiar about it, too, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason for that. But there was this disconcerting feeling that she would get taken away somehow--somewhere beyond his reach.

He stopped drawing circles in the ground, seeing that it was making the pure snow dirty with mud. Then he set to burying it beneath the freshly fallen snow, covering up the blemish with a clean layer of white purity. _If only the past could be concealed just as easily_, he thought, patting it down gently with the sole of his shoe.

Then his ears caught the sound of rustling, and he lifted his head to see Lina running towards him. His eyes lit up for a moment before he realized that she looked distressed. He opened his mouth to speak just as she threw herself into him. "Lina-san--"

"Please don't say anything," she begged of him and cried quietly into his chest. She snuck her arms around his waist, pulling him closer, searching for a feeling of comfort that she knew she would not receive from a mazoku. The erratic thumping deep within her chest spoke the truth--she had feelings for him, and the knowledge of that distressed her. How could she have allowed herself to fall in love with a mazoku--someone who would never return her feelings?

"Lina-san?"

"I love you!" she blurted out. "I don't know how or when it happened, but it did and it's so strong that I just can't deny it anymore," she spat out in a disorganized ramble. Then she swallowed and bit her lip. "I know--it's not possible for this feeling to be returned, but I--"

Xelloss knelt before her, coming to an even eye level. He gazed into her eyes for a moment before speaking. "What makes you think that I can feel fear, sorrow, and happiness, but not love?" he asked.

The statement temporarily quelled Lina's sobs. He had a good point. Over the past week, she had come to realize that he was indeed capable of feeling and portraying those emotions. Not knowing what to say, she simply shook her head in response.

"What do you think love is?" he asked her. "I've lived much longer than you, Lina-san. My definition is justifiably different from yours."

She averted her gaze for a moment. She suddenly felt as though she had no room to speak. He was right, after all.

Xelloss sighed inwardly. "It's really subjective--that feeling called love. If you want me to throw my life away for you, you won't be getting it. My nature prevents me from valuing your life above my own--just think of me as a very self-centered human." He paused. "But if you're asking about passion…"

Lina's eyes widened as she felt his lips brush against her arm. He kissed his way up the length of it as Lina struggled with her own feelings, and she turned her face to him as he neared her shoulder. "Xe--"

He silenced her with a passionate kiss on the lips. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to deny his feelings and failing to do so. Then he pulled away and pressed his forehead against her own, gazing deeply into her worried eyes.

"Can you not tell? I want you," he stated clearly. Then he kissed her once and repeated, "I want you." Then he kissed her again, communicating his desire to claim her clearly through his actions. He snuck an arm around her waist and pulled her against his body, raising her temperature by planting well-placed kisses on her neck. Lina still attempted to refuse him, struggling and pushing against his weight in vain. She didn't want to be hurt again. And yet, the idea of turning him away hurt her. It hurt her so badly that she whimpered and cried.

Xelloss placed his hand against her cheek and turned her face to meet his. She was no longer surprised to have the privilege of gazing into those beautiful violet eyes--somewhere deep down inside she knew that he saved them for her. She dropped her head slightly as he kissed away her tears, then looked her straight in the eyes.

"Do you need me to say it?"

And that was when Lina realized it. _He's hurting_, she noted as she blinked at his odd expression. _He loves me, and that feeling is hurting him_. Xelloss smiled weakly at her as the expression on her face changed, showing that she finally understood. She kissed him through her tears, through her pain, crying as she finally overcame the feeling of loneliness that plagued her--plagued them both. She had finally found the solution to her decade-long problem in a place where she had least expected it, and it was a better outcome than she could have asked for.

As she swallowed the last of her sorrow, Lina placed a finger against Xelloss's lips. "So…" she began, "how about we continue this in the room?"

He smiled. "I like the way you think, Lina-san."

She winked at him. "Of course you do. I always have the best ideas."

* * *

**Author's Note**: So we finally reached the conclusion of this story. I have actually been quite astounded by the number of favorites this story has received--it's my second most popular fanfic on here. I'm glad that some of you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I just wanted to thank you all again for staying with the fandom--it felt kind of lonely when I returned to Slayers to find that the Xellina fanbase had dwindled so much, but now I see that there are still some remaining fans. Well, please review if you enjoyed the story, and I'll see you all around!


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